After the Apocalypse
by ColdCypher
Summary: At the end of all exsistence one person ends up where he/she doesn't belong. In a world where the human race is breathing it's last breath, can she survive without strength, and only wits and agility to keep herself alive? SI (Self Insert)


AN: I do not own any of the characters in this story and it's something that I wrote several months ago(22 October 2012), and was thinking of continuing. Not sure when I'll update, but it seems like this could be a good story. So why not.

**Chapter 1**

21st of December 2012 was the day the world ended, but certainly not in a way anybody expected. Instead of massive meteorite/planet colliding with us, or the earth's atmosphere being torn asunder by solar radiation, or the earth core destabilizing causing massive earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, or running out of critical resources, or a global nuclear war, or even the conspiracy theorist's alien invasion… Instead of any of those, it was something much, much worse. The fabric of space and time had stretched beyond its limits, due to the expanding universe… And like a balloon… It popped. It was fast, faster than anyone expected. The universe disintegrated, faster than even the speed of light and there was nothing anyone could do. In fact, the human race didn't even have time to realize what was happening, before it was already over.

This is how we came to an end, not in fire, or in ice, but like ashes to the wind, with not even a whimper.

**==X==**

I knew what had happened, I could feel it echoing in my very core, resonating with the loss of so much life. I don't know how I knew, but I did. That was why, when I could feel myself awaken and I could feel the grit of tar against my cheek, it was with a sense of confusion. I could feel though, that this was not my world… And wherever I was, I did not belong. I was not part of this place and there was an echoing emptiness inside my soul that mourned for the loss of my home.

With a gasp, my lungs took in air for the first time and my eyes fluttered open. It appeared to me that I was underneath the carriage of a large truck and from my position I could see smoke, fire, I could hear screams and there, but a few meters away from me was something that could only be classified as… the undead. No, this was not hell, no this was another world, quite different to my own in some ways and similar in others. I knew that this world, this place, was experiencing its own apocalypse. The destruction of the human race was ensured, it was a cleansing of the weak. The deity that ruled over this realm must have decided to press the reset button.

I lifted my head off the tarmac and turned it the other way to a row of white picket fence houses, likely with large back yards off to my right, one seemed to have a car stuck through a side wall and a bit further down was one that appeared to be on fire. Pushing myself to my hands and knees, I frowned at the sight of these appendages… Small… I thought as I brushed a lock of long dirty blond hair behind an ear before frowning and pulling the hair into my line of sight, not exactly the color or length I remember it being.

A groan off to the side convinced me that, rather than fretting over these unexpected changes, I should move to a safer location. I quickly slipped out on the opposite side and moved towards the fence, clambering over it as I took a glance behind me, only to grimace at the distasteful sight. A man… Who's arm had been torn off and his face partially eaten. I let go of the fence and dropped down, out of sight, passively taking in that I was wearing a dress and I was entirely too short compared to my previous stature.

I rushed through the back gate and clambered up the first thing I could find, a small wooden platform, only three meters off the ground that seemed to be an incomplete treehouse. Once up there I could see into the woods behind the house, but seeing no immediate threat, my thoughts quickly turned to my body. Though I couldn't see my own face to get an accurate judge of my age, my body was small, lithe and agile. I was wearing a plain quite cotton dress that was already smudged with dirt. My feet were bare and delicate looking and my arms and legs were thin but seemed to be well muscled for that of a child. That is what I was though, a child, a young girl… And if I had to estimate my age, I would have to say I was about 8 years old.

The realization came to my already numb mind and I felt little more than apathy towards my sudden change in the social pecking order. The only thought that popped into my head, of any consequence, was the fact that my strength would be meaningless against that of the monsters crawling through the streets. My mind turned back to the loss of my world and for a brief moment I wondered if anyone else had made the same transition I had, or if they had gone on to their respective heavens and hells.

Mind blank I sat there for what must've been over an hour before my empty stomach started complaining. I glanced towards the house in front of me wondering if I should chance it. It could be empty, it was quite possible in fact, likely almost. None of the windows or doors were boarded up, so in all likelihood the residents must've fled. I knew I was just deluding myself, trying to build up some courage to face what could likely be another terrifying experience.

I firmed my resolve and decided that it had to be done, I couldn't sit out here for the rest of eternity. Slowly and as quietly as I possibly could, I slipped out of the tree and made my way over to the back door. I turned the circular doorknob, trembling slightly… The door quietly click as it sprung free from its latch and I slowly pushed it open. I cringed at the creaking sound that reverberated within my skull, almost certain that every creature from miles away would be able to hear it and converge on my position. I shook myself forcing down the rising panic and hardened my resolve. Quietly I tiptoed into the house and glanced around to the left of me was a kitchen and further down the hall was a livingroom. Some stairs went up to the second floor, where I assumed the bedrooms and bathrooms were. Glancing at the photos in the hallway I saw that it'd been a family of four, two boys, one about 7 and the other 13, and their parents. They looked happy.

I immediately made a beeline through the kitchen and quickly opened the fridge, it wasn't too bare, there were a few things in there, including some leftovers. My hand immediately reached for the tupperware containing a few pizza slices and I scarfed it down in seconds, it was delicious. Glancing at the pantry I saw that it too was stocked with canned food and other essentials such as daily vitamins… I couldn't pass up the opportunity of taking some of this with me, but I needed something to carry it in… A backpack… from one of the boys' rooms would do nicely. I looked down at my bare feet and thought that some boots would be nice too, to avoid losing a leg to one of the ankle biters.

Slowly and quietly I made my way up the stairs after I'd checked the livingroom. Everything in the house was quiet and peaceful, no sign of violence anywhere. On the stairs I noticed the first thing out of place, a bloody smudge on the wall and a few skew photographs… At the top of the stairs there was a broken vase and I carefully tiptoed around the shards to avoid cutting my feet. The half open door with the blue walls seemed to hold promise, but first I had to check the other rooms, to make sure things were clear. I went to every door and listened if the door was closed, not willing to risk opening it and glancing in for a second if it was open. Finally secure in the fact I was alone, I approached the last room I hadn't checked, which had to be one of the boys' rooms.

Once inside I almost gasped, but held my breath when saw the mother's body lying on the carpet. I could see a bite-mark on her arm, and thick black blood pooling around her head. There was another smudge on the corner of a desk and it looked like she must've struck her head. She was dead though, neither breathing nor moving the slightest, but I resolved to not turn my back on her either way. For a moment I wondered why I hadn't grabbed a knife or something from the kitchen, but thought I'd add it to my list of provisions.

Quickly I moved around her to the closet, making sure to stay out of arms reach and constantly keeping an eye on her. I pulled open the closet door and glanced inside, trying to keep my body turned towards the dead woman. Jacpot! I'd found what I was looking for. Some child-size hiking boots, which seemed to belong to the 7 year old. I grabbed some socks and tried them on… They fit my feet perfectly. There was also an empty backpack, which I grabbed as well. I stuffed in some jeans, two t-shirts and a couple of socks and a hat before taking the boots in hand and heading for the door. Just as I turned my back I heard a scratching sound and looked back at the woman's body. Her eyes bloodshot and her teeth gnashing, I she was staring me right in the eyes. My heart nearly popped out of my chest in shock, I quickly grabbed the door handle and slammed the door behind me before running down the stairs, trying to ignore the loud snarling and pounding that had started.

I quickly made it to the pantry and stuffed as many cans into the pack as I could, a can opener, plus two knives on either side of the pack, my main weapon was a hammer I grabbed from a toolbox in the pantry. Shoes on, backpack over my shoulders and hammer in hand, I quickly made my way outside, in a rush to get away from the ruckus.

Immediately outside the door I was almost blindsided by one. With a desperate gasp and a quick roll I managed to get away from the creature's grasping hands suddenly feeling very encumbered by the pack on my shoulders I rushed to the fence and flung the backpack over it in a rush and quickly clambered over, just managing to get my leg out of the monster's grasp. I tumbled down the other side onto the grass and lay gasping for a second as the moaning started and fists started pounding on the fence. Quickly I grabbed the pack in one hand and rushed to the next fence dodging lawn chairs and sprinklers.

Three fences later, I felt as though I was far enough away and feeling slightly winded. I glanced around the yard and a sense of déjà vu hit me. The treehouse… the swimming pool… The tea set beneath the tree… It was an exact copy of the first house in the "Walking Dead" game that I'd played on the Playstation 3 only months earlier. I wondered where exactly I was in the timeline… I walked up to the sliding back door and looked in through the glass. Not seeing anyone, or anything lying on the floor, I realized I must've arrived before Lee, which means Clementine was still in the treehouse. Looking back at the treehouse I softly called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

I waited a few moments and listened carefully, but after no reply I decided to try and climb the tree. Putting my pack over one shoulder I used some of the planks attached to the side to try and scale it. The last part was a little difficult as I swung my pack onto the small platform in front of the treehouse and I grasped the edge. As I was swinging myself up I heard a squeak sound coming from inside.

I knocked on the wooden flap that was hanging over the entrance, "Hello?" I pulled up the flap and looked inside to see a fearful Clementine sitting in the back corner wrapped in a blanket and some sweet papers and empty chips packets strewn around the floor. "Y-You're not one of them, are you?", she asked hesitantly. "Ah, no… I'm not.", I replied. "My name's Clementine, what's yours?", she asked. I hesitated for a second, my old name wouldn't fit my new body after all… "Alexis.", I finally replied, "But just call me Alex. Mind if I come inside?" She blinked and shook her head, untangling herself from the blanket a bit and motioning for me to come inside.

I dragged myself and my pack inside and plopped down in the opposite corner. "Hungry?", I asked as I dug into my pack and pulled out some canned sausages. She nodded and I pulled the tab on the can and handed her a few which she quickly devoured, almost desperate for the food. "How long have you been up here?", I asked. "… About 3 days now. My parents are away and my babysitter got bitten by one of those things, I got scared and hid up here. She's not the same anymore… She's scary now." I nodded… She didn't ask me about myself but I felt compelled to tell her something. "My mom and dad are gone.", I said feeling the hollow sense of loss creeping into my chest again, "And my brother, and sister… I woke up in the road just a few blocks down and managed to grab a few things from someone's house… food and clothes." "You stole?", she asked looking slightly put off. "Yeah, I guess. But there's nobody there anymore, everyone's either turned into one of those things or left. I only took what I thought I might need.", I said and showed her the hammer and knives.

'If she's been here for three days then Lee will be around any time now.', I thought, 'Better get changed outta this dress.' "Mind of I change clothes?", I asked. She shook her head in reply, examining the hammer that she was still holding in her hands… I wondered what was going through her mind. Turning to my pack, I quickly took out the jeans and a black t-shirt that had a skull printed in the front. I rolled my eyes at the irony. Putting the boots back on and putting the cap on my head I glanced at Clem and then at the cap that was on her head too. I grinned at her, and she returned it with a soft smile.

"So how old are you?", I asked her. "Six, I'm turning seven next month.", she replied, "And you?" "I'm eight.", I said making up my mind, "And my birthday's on the 23rd of November." "Cool, only two months away!", she said with a smile.

Suddenly we heard something outside and we pulled the curtain slightly aside to see a large man who I immediately recognized as Lee, stumble over the fence. The walkers behind him started banging on the wood only to suddenly stop as gunshots went off in the distance. They turned and wandered in the direction of the livelier, louder sounds. We watched as Lee got up and hobbled around the yard, I could see his one leg had been pretty badly cut, but it didn't seem to be bleeding too much.


End file.
